Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20091213.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Joel: Call To Revere Almighty God
Part I: Call To Repent Due To God's Current Crises
(Joel 1:1-20)
  1. Introduction
    1. One of the great spiritual needs in our current era is the need for people to revere the Almighty God of Scripture so as to repent of sin and escape His discipline and receive His forgiveness and blessing.
    2. Joel's prophecy motivates us to do this in a dramatic way, and it begins with a call to repent due to a severe judgment that had occurred in Joel's era, providing appropriate applications for us (as follows):
  2. Call To Repent Due To God's Current Crises, Joel 1:1-20.
    1. The prophet Joel wrote to the people of Israel who lived under the Mosaic Covenant in Deuteronomy 28.
    2. It directed that when Israel disobeyed God, He would let Israel face many problems, including locust plagues (Deut. 28:38) and invading armies (Deut. 28:49-51) that would similarly devastate the land.
    3. In accord with this truth, Joel 1:1-20 describes a locust plague in Joel's era, and Joel 2:1-3:21 tells how it pictured future plagues of invading armies and a final world apocalypse when God would judge all the nations and finally rule the earth with His sovereign, righteous rule.
    4. Thus, we first focus on the locust plague, and on its warning to repent for blessing as seen in Joel 1:1-20:
      1. God's word came to Joel, the son of Pethuel, at a time of crisis in ancient Israel's history, Joel 1:1-2.
      2. That word recalled unprecedented destruction that had occurred in a recent locust plague, Joel 1:2-4:
        1. God through Joel called Israel's elders and all of the people of the land to hear Joel's words, 1:2a.
        2. Specifically, He wanted Israel to answer His rhetorical question regarding if their current crisis had ever occurred in Israel's history, Joel 1:2b. The question calls for the answer of a strong, "No!"
        3. Accordingly, the people were to tell to ensuing generations (Joel 1:3) how a plague of succeeding waves of locust swarms had totally decimated Israel's crops: what the "shearer" locust had left, the "swarmer" locust had eaten; what the "swarmer" locust had left, the "lapper" locust had eaten; and what the "lapper" locust had left, the "devourer" locust had eaten, Joel 1:4; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Joel 1:4.
      3. This crisis led to God's calling various groups in Israel to mourn in preparation for repentance, 1:5-13:
        1. Israel's drunkards were called to mourn since they would lack wine because the vineyards had been destroyed, Joel 1:5. The locusts had devoured like a lion that tears its prey in its powerful jaws, so they had stripped even the bark off of agricultural plants, leaving their branches white, Joel 1:6-7.
        2. The land was called to mourn, being personified as a virgin or young woman as a bride or future bride who had lost her betrothed or newly wed husband in death (Joel 1:8) for even the crops needed in the meal and drink offerings were gone, leaving the priests, God's servants, to mourn, Joel 1:9-10.
        3. Israel's farmers were called to mourn (Joel 1:11-12) over the loss of all of their crops.
        4. Israel's temple priests were called to mourn (Joel 1:13) as they had lost their share in the offerings.
      4. Through His prophet, Joel, God called for a fast and a solemn temple assembly and its gathering of Israel's elders and all her people to cry out unto God for help in an attitude of repentance, Joel 1:14.
      5. Joel then announced the day of the Lord, a time of judgment, was at hand, and as a "destruction" (Hebrew shod) from the Almighty (Hebrew Shaddai) it would come, Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to Joel 1:15!
      6. Reiterating again the enormous destruction he beheld along with its devastating effects on temple worship (Joel 1:16), the land (Joel 1:17) and even the animals (Joel 1:18), God's prophet himself cried out to the Lord for mercy (Joel 1:19) like the animals of the field cried out in their distress (Joel 1:20).
Lesson: Due to an unprecedented locust plague that devastated the vegetation, leaving Israel destitute from her temple on down to her animals, God wanted all Israel to know she had sinned, and had to repent! God's prophet himself applied the lesson, calling unto God in response to the needs he saw!

Application: (1) If unusual crises rise, our first response must be to examine ourselves and repent if necessary! (2) If others around us suffer such crises, we like God's prophet, Joel should follow his example to apply the lessons we see in such crises -- avoiding sin ourselves and interceding for others!